When coming across new antique or vintage find, it’s puzzling to find the right way of researching it. Would it be googling it? But what to type in a search box? How to guess what’s the starting point? If the object you’re researching is the pottery, ceramics or silver, the easiest thing is to look up the hallmarks or a signature. But what about the furniture or fabrics? The task can be a lot more tricky. Earlier this week I’ve bought this lovely antique wooden folding shelf. There is no maker’s signature, so it’s hard to put an age, country of origin or type of wood to it. Researching on Google can be fruitful, but how can you accurately see if the item you look at is made from the same type of wood or bears identical finish? I found that speaking with fellow antique dealers is always perfect call, these are the people with huge amount of knowledge, and they feel nicely tickled to speak to someone who does appreciate it! They have spent years of dealing with vintage and antique items, and there’s a big chance they have seen the object you’ve got before. They are happy to help, and there’s no better way to learn about this trade than talking to other people!